Monday (The Vikings and the run) edition: Wha' Happened?

Most Vikings fans would have settled for a victory of any kind yesterday. A loss would have not only shaken the foundation of the die-hards (and perhaps even the Vikings themselves) but also put the squad in a delicate position when it comes to securing both a first-round bye and even the NFC North.

But it was more than just a bonus, to us at least, to see the manner in which Minnesota's 30-10 victory over the playoff-bound Bengals transpired. The defense was fabulous (though occasionally lacked discipline) in holding the Bengals to just 10 points, 13 first downs and 213 total yards. Of the greatest importance to us, though, was the run-pass balance that had been lacking lately and has disappeared during some of the Vikings' worst games of the season. Take a look at the Vikings' play-calling in their first 12 games this season (running plays are considered designed runs and don't include rare 40-year-old man scrambles or kneeldowns):

Game 1: 36 runs, 22 passes Cle

Game 2: 22 runs, 28 passes Det

Game 3: 26 runs, 46 passes SF

Game 4: 28 runs, 32 passes GB

Game 5: 24 runs, 27 passes STL

Game 7: 22 runs, 51 passes PIT

Game 8: 31 runs, 28 passes GB

Game 9: 27 runs, 31 passes DET

Game 10: 35 runs, 33 passes SEA

Game 11: 31 runs, 48 passes CHI

You'll notice that the Vikings' worst cases of overload in the passing game (+29 passes vs. Pittsburgh and +25 vs. Arizona) came in their two losses. Also note the third-worst (+20 vs. SF) came in that thrilling, last-second victory. The only game in which the Vikings have dominated with a huge imbalance toward the pass was a +17 vs. the Bears, when Chicago put approximately 13 defenders near the line of scrimmage in order to stop Adrian Peterson from running wild again. Now: there is a little cause-and-effect at work here. When trying to play catch-up late, a team has to throw more. Hence it makes sense that the Vikings threw more in their losses. But we also thought last week against Arizona, Minnesota got away from the run too quickly and didn't come back to it nearly enough. Not to take anything away from Brett Favre, who has been brilliant for most of the season, but a ground game is essential for this team to do well in the playoffs. It is also a key to helping keep the QB sharp instead of fading. Favre was mediocre against Arizona. He's a proven difference maker, but he's also proven he can be a difference maker in the wrong direction when he starts feeling as though he has to carry a team.

As such, yesterday's approach and output were beautiful to see. Minnesota had 33 runs for 135 yards (by running backs) and Favre threw 30 times. Of those 33 runs, 28 were for positive yardage (85 percent of the runs, compared to Minnesota's league-worst 75 percent mark coming into the game). Adrian Peterson ran with authority against a very good run defense, coming close to 100 yards and cashing in twice for TDs with tough short runs. He took two or three yards when they were there instead of dancing and winding up with a negative play. The difference between 2nd-and-8 and 2nd-and-11 might not seem like much, but we'd say the difference is crucial. It's the difference between a wide open playbook and a likely pass.